Chronic back pain is one of the most common complaints found in modern society. Heating pads and elastic compression bands are common devices used to relieve chronic back pain. More recently, combinations of elastic back wraps and heating pads have been available. Many of these combination devices utilize thermal packs which are reusable via the replenishment of thermal energy including heated water and microwaveable gels. In general, however, the state of the art is rather archaic. Such temporary pain relief devices are inconvenient to use on a regular basis because: thermal energy is not immediately available when needed; thermal energy is not released in a controllable or sustainable manner, positioning of thermal energy elements for heating only the back muscles, rather than the spine or other areas which do not benefit as much from thermal treatment, is inaccurate and difficult to maintain; or adjustability for waist size and tension comfort has been missing.
What is needed is an inexpensive disposable back wrap which provides instant heating in a controlled and sustainable manner, wrap alignment and position maintenance features, a fastening system which a wide variety of users can easily manipulate to achieve tension comfort, and a thermal element pattern which directs thermal energy to where it has the most temporary pain relief benefit.